Moonshine and Reavers
by lyricalemme
Summary: This is a WashZoe back story. It was written with the help of my Wash and I love you, bao bei. It is an interesting story and I hope you like it. The characters are Joss Whedon's, I just gave them some past.I would like to thank Wash for without whom th


Chinese translations:

_go se_ – crap

_cho su ma ta jun_ – give me a heart attack

_chisu go se_ – piece of crap

_wo du shin su cho shen na sen su piku_ - mother of Jesus and all her wacky nephews

_bao bei_ – precious, term of endearment

Moonshine and Reavers

Zoë couldn't sleep. They had just finished a big job, and thanks to their new pilot's fancy flying, they had made it out alive. There was something about him that intrigued her. But she wouldn't fall for him. She couldn't fall for him. She had sworn to herself that she would never marry. She had seen too many husbands die and she didn't want to see her own love go.

She walked into the galley to make herself so tea, hoping it would relax her. She sighed, still thinking about Hoban, though her head told her not too. She liked the name, it just didn't suit him. She called him Wash, although not to his face. She didn't know that she ever would either.

In his bunk, Hoban was cleaning up, washing his face after a shave. He had decided it was time for his lip ferret to go. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. As much as he liked looking older, he missed the clean shaven feel. Of course, now he looked like a little kid. He sighed and noticed he stomach rumbling. He decided it was time to get some food.

Zoë was still in the kitchen. She wasn't really paying much attention to anything. She sat at the table with her tea, letting the mug warm her hands. She didn't hear him come in.

He came skipping into the room, jumpsuit rolled down to his waist with a wife beater on. His face was clean shaven and his hair was slicked back from getting clean. He saw Zoe sitting at the table and smiled at her, giving a half wave. She was beautiful, but he didn't think he would ever tell her that. She might kill him or something. He walked around the counter and looked for something to eat.

She was startled by the sound of someone coming into the kitchen. She blushed slightly when she saw it was Hoban, though not enough for him to see. She turned to him when her face had returned to its normal color. She looked at him, watching his back for a moment. Then she said, "That was some fancy flying today, Wash." Before she realized it, the nickname for him had slipped out. She pretended it was nothing.

He turned to her as she addressed him, stopping at the nickname. "Wash…? Heh." He went back to looking through the lockers, pulling out a dry cereal type food, and headed back around the counter to the table.

Zoë looked up at him. "Hey, we're alive when we should be dead thanks to your quick thinking." She smiled at him sincerely. "In my mind, that was fancy."

He sat down and looked at his cereal and smiled. "Well, you think that was fancy, you should have seen my graduation flight. Had to take it during the war. Huge battle, and they wanted me to fly an Alliance ship, but I refused. Flew for the independents instead, medivac ship. Being shot at by other classmates. Got to the hospital though and swore to myself I would never join Alliance when I got out..." He ate some of his snack. He hated fighting anyways.

Zoë was surprised. She had no idea he was involved in the war. "I never knew that." She smiled at the fact that he refused to fly for the Alliance. She was quiet for a moment, and then she noticed that her tea had gotten cold. She got up to make more.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Huh? OH! Yeah, sure…" He rubbed at his lip, not used to it being cleaned off. He went back to his snack, thinking about that flight from the war.

As she made the tea, she looked up to see him rubbing where his mustache used to be. She had noticed it when he walked in but had chosen not to say anything. Now, "You shaved your mustache off. It looks good." Truth be told, the mustache was a big part of the reason she hadn't like him at first glance. It him look older and it didn't' fit his face at all.

"Yeah, figured I should look my age." He turned around and smiled at her, a little boy smile that could light up a room. Then he realized he was staring and went back to looking at the table.

Zoë laughed softly to herself as he turned. He had been staring at her. She poured the tea and walked back to the table. She went to place his mug on the table but he reached up to take it from her before she could set it down. When their hands touched, there was a small shock but a whole flood of emotions through her body. She let go of the mug as he took it from her and went around the table to sit across from him instead of next to him like she had planned. She didn't expect to feel these things. She took a deep breath and hoped he didn't notice.

When his hand brushed hers, Wash had blushed. "Um… thanks." He smiled again and started to sip it as she sat down across from him. It had been cold in there, but it suddenly had gotten a bit warmer. He looked up at her. "So, warrior woman and pilot having tea."

She looked up at him as he called her a warrior. "Warrior woman, huh? I like that." She laughed a little. "Don't think anyone has ever called me that before. At least not to my face anyway." He was a nice guy. She saw him blush. She wanted to say something but didn't know exactly what to say or how to say it.

"Sorry. Hope it didn't come off as rude or anything." He cleared his throat and sipped his tea, avoiding her gaze. She had the best eyes. Could pull a guy in if he wasn't careful. He finally looked up again. He liked taking risks.

She felt badly that he felt he had offended her. "No, I didn't mean that it was a bad thing. I kinda like it actually." She smiled and looked into his eyes. She never realized how blue his eyes were. They were like an ocean. Suddenly she realized that she was staring. But she couldn't look away.

He shook his head finished off his tea. She wasn't as hard as the others had made her sound. Which made him wonder, if anyone had really sat down and talked with her before. He looked around the kitchen, freshly painted. "So, you and Mal own this bird huh?"

His words broke her from her trance. It didn't appear that he had noticed her staring. She silently thanked whatever God was out there as she said, "Yea. When I first saw it I thought it was a piece of _go se_ to be truthful." She smiled, following his gaze around the room. "But she's home now. She's a good ship." She turned back to her tea and looked at him again. She wondered if she would do anything about what she was feeling. She took a sip of her tea.

He nodded. "So, how long have you two been together?" He looked at his empty cup.

She spit her tea out. "Together? Me and Mal?" She wiped her mouth, embarrassed that she had reacted like that. She never betrayed her emotions before. At least, not in public. "I'm sorry about that." She took a breath. "Mal and I have known each other since the war."

He nodded. So there wasn't a chance in the 'verse for him. Not that he thought there was anyways. He swallowed the last of the food in his mouth. "Well you guys work well together, that's for sure..."

She laughed at the thought. "Wash, I think you misunderstand my meaning. I've known Mal since the war, but we're not _together_ together." Wow, Mal and her _together_! She cringed at the thought. She looked at Wash, her eyes dancing with laughter.

He looked surprised but not unhappy. "OH! Well then...heh...um...right." He laughed and covered his face completely embarrassed. His laugh turned into a stretch, cracking his back. "Well...I think that's my cue to go make sure we're on track...Thanks for the tea..."

She was sorry to see him go, but she didn't quite know what to say to make him stay. "It was no trouble. The tea I mean." She smiled warmly.

"Right...tea." He was smiling like a fool. Which he should have just stopped right there, because he didn't have a chance with her. No woman had ever given him the light of day. He was too geeky for them. "Well...I need to go unpack the boys I guess..."

'_Ah screw being subtle_,' she thought. "Wait." She smiled again. "Do you really have to go? I mean, I could make more tea, and I don't really know you that well." She stood up to make the tea. She couldn't believe herself. She was acting like a school girl with a crush. '_But you do have a crush_,' said the little voice inside her head. '_Shh_!' she told herself. Aloud, she said, "I just mean that we'll be working together and I don't know anything about you."

He was taken back a bit. She really wanted to know about him? "Um...heh. Yeah I could go for more tea, I guess." He smiled and walked back down to the table taking a seat. "I just don't know what I could tell you that's interesting about me. I fly...that's about it..."

She smiled at him as she walked around the counter. She was trying to show him that she was interested in what he had to say. "Well, I thought that story about flying during the war was pretty interesting. Got any other flight stories?" She looked around for more tea, but couldn't find any. She did find a bottle of liquor, though what kind she didn't know. She turned to Wash, "All out of tea. Will this do?" She held up the bottle.

He shrugged. "I warn you though; I'm kinda of a light weight just to let you know. No tellin' what I'll ramble off." '_More flying stories_,' he thought. "Well...never crashed. That's a plus...um...Last ship I was on, we out ran a mess of Reavers. It was all over the waves..." He blushed a little, remembering how many congratulated him. Personally, the whole thing was a blur. And he preferred it that way.

She walked back to the table with the bottle and two glasses, laughing at his light weight comment. "Never crashing is good." She smiled and poured some of the mystery liquor into the glasses, handing one to Wash. "Reavers, huh?" She was impressed, and hoped it was conveyed in her voice. She shivered a little at the thought of them. "Reavers are hard to out run, especially when they have a mind to attack and kill you." She sat next to him this time and turned her body towards him, all her body language telling him she was interested in what he was saying.

He put back the drink. Moonshine. He blinked a few times, coughing. Good moonshine. "Um… well the thing to remember with outrunning a Reaver ship is the fact that they take older models that don't move as fast. Too heavy and if you can get around then quick and burn out, you get enough push to get away. No one seemed to get that though. They teach it in class...guess I was the only one listening that day." He played with the glass, getting the shivers remembering flying that night.

The drink was strong, even for her. '_Where the hell did this come from?_' she wondered to herself. She smiled at his modesty. "Guess it was a good thing you were listening." She paused, unsure of what to say next. She could see he was still haunted by that flight. So she decided to change the subject a little. "So what about home? Where is it for you?" She smiled again, warmly.

"Tiny moon just off of Ariel. That is _so_ polluted it was always dark and smelled and you never see space. And it sucked, because all these people would come there when I was little and tell me about the stars." He shook his head, running it through his hair. "S'why I became a pilot. I wanted to see the stars...to see what everyone was talking about..." He looked up, taking the bottle and pouring another round for himself. "It's better then they described..."

She smiled at his story. It was refreshing to see someone with such a good reason for the job he chose. She poured herself another glass of the moonshine. She watched him run his hand through his hair. It appeared to be soft; she briefly wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. She pushed the thought from her mind, ignoring the little voice from her heart that had taken up residence in her head. "You really like being a pilot, don't you? What's your favorite part about the job?" She drained her glass again, trying to shut the voice up.

He sipped at this one, not wanting to have the same experience as the last glass. "Don't really know. Fun to go to new places." He smiled at his glass. "Mostly the stars..._and_ getting away from the family." He toasted himself and chugged the rest anyways.

Her head swam a little, she drank that last one a little too fast. Still she poured herself another, sipping this one slowly. She laughed as he toasted himself and she raised her glass as well. "Do you have a big family, this one you seem to feel the need to escape?"

"No..." He shook his head and sighed, holding back a burp. "More like, I have an older brother that was perfect and an engineer. I was the one that wanted to fly. Mother hates me, father died in a mining accident, I ran away from home." See, he told a lot when he was liquid up.

She felt bad to make him drudge up such unhappy memories. She placed her hand on top of his, rubbing it with her thumb. She didn't realize she had done it right away. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

Without realizing himself, he had taken hers, a smile on his face. "Don't worry about it. Leaving was the best thing I ever did. Can finally live my life the way I want." With his free hand, he grabbed the bottle again and poured a glass, his own thumb rubbing her hand.

She smiled at him, suddenly realizing that their hands were touching. She didn't make a move to change that. She finished the last drops in her glass and poured herself so more. "So tell me more." Her face showed she was eager to listen.

He laughed, hitting the table softly. "I don't know what else to say. I'm hopelessly single, and no girl in her right mind would ever date me. I have to be the biggest geek in the 'verse." He turned to her, very serious. "I collect dinosaurs." His serious face turned into a large smile and he started to laugh into his hand.

"You are not a geek. You're quite loveable in fact." She paused when she heard of his collection though. "Dinosaurs? You mean like toy ones?" She was surprised and a little amused as well. She laughed with him, not mocking him, just amused.

"It's true! I have a bunch of them and I usually put them on the dashboard, but I haven't done it yet, cause I wanted you to like me!" He was laughing still and slowly it faded into a nervous giggle, clearing his throat. "Did you call me loveable?"

Her laughter turned to a little more serious expression. "Yes, I did. You're quite an endearing person, Wash." Her brain was a little slow at processing due to the moonshine. She realized he said '_I wanted you to like me!_' She looked him in the eyes, so blue. "You wanted me to like you?"

He was at a loss for words, swallowing nothing. "I heard you talking to Mal about me the day I got hired. Got the impression I wasn't very liked." He smiled at his empty glass. "Plus, I think your pretty..." he admitted softly.

She felt bad for what she had said that day. She judged him too quickly. And no one had ever called her pretty, except her momma, and she was long since dead. She wasn't sure what to say. So, she did something completely out of character for her. She took his face in her hands and turned it towards her. She looked him dead in his baby blues and her eyes flicked down to him mouth. Then she kissed him, full on the mouth.

It had been a good long while since any woman had kissed him. And now, here was the one woman he'd thought about kissing for weeks, laying one of him. He closed his eyes and leaned in a bit closer, gently, his own hand running behind her neck. She was so warm and so beautiful and, if he was lucky, he would _never_ wake up from this dream. THIS had to be a dream.

Maybe it was the moonshine, maybe it was his hand on her neck sending shivers down her spine. but she deepened the kiss, teasing his tongue with her own. The only thought running through her mind was '_Oh, God, this man tasted good._' She briefly wondered why she hadn't done this sooner.

He was the first to pull back, looking a bit lost and nervous. He bit his bottom lip and moved over on the bench, taking in what just happened. "Zoë, I should go...and...yeah..." He got off the bench a bit shaky and smirked quickly, walking to the door.

She opened her eyes as he pulled back. He looked so confused. He smiled and headed for the door. She called out to him as she followed him. "Wait!" She caught up to him quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out." She blushed visibly this time, not wanting him to leave and angry at herself for being to rash. "I didn't mean to be so forward."

He turned around quickly and pulled her close, kissing her deeply, holding her hands down at her waist, pulling back after a few moments. "I actually...like that in a woman..." He smiled warmly at her.

She was mildly surprised when he kissed her. She thought she had scared him off. When he pulled away, she was smiling and a little dazed. "Really? You like that?" She replied teasingly. She kissed him again. "Remind me to thank who ever brought that moonshine on board," she murmured against his lips. She felt so comfortable in his arms.

He laughed and shook his head. "...I really do need to check and make sure we're on track." He kissed her again quickly and let her hands go. "But this was...wacky...fun." He stumbled up the steps and scratched his head, heading up to the bridge. When the liquor wore off in the morning, this will all be an embarrassment for her and a great dream for him.

She watched him head back to the bridge, sorry to see him go, but enjoying watching him leave. She smiled to herself and cleaned up the glasses and mugs and replaced the bottle where she had found it. She had intended to head back to her own bunk, to mull the evening's events over but somehow she ended up on the bridge.

He was sitting in the chair thinking, brain still fuzzy from what just happened in the kitchen. He looked at the dinosaurs, scattered on the dash now. "It was just cause we were both a little sloshed, right?" It was to good to believe that maybe someone actually liked him for him. But Zoë? It just wasn't possible. There was just no way... no way that he could get _that_ lucky for once.

She saw the dinosaurs that he had placed on the dash. He had quite a collection. She stood timidly in the door, not a hundred percent sure what she was doing there. He was a nice guy, not something she came across often. And he was sweet, a little childish but that made him endearing, like so many other things about him. She turned to leave, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, but she stubbed her toe. She swore at the small pain.

He heard her and quickly turned around, eyes wide. He got up, hand on the back of the chair. She was going to leave again and he really didn't know if he wanted her too. He was a fool for leaving before. "I'm not perfect..."

She looked up at his comment. She understood. "I'm not saying I am either." She moved onto the bridge and closer to him. "What I am saying is that I like you, Wash." She was inches from him. She looked into his eyes. She was captured by their blueness.

"I'm no solder. Probably the last guy you'd want backing you up. I'm just...me." He'd completely missed that she said she liked him. He was just getting nervous at how close they were to one another. He wanted to kiss her again and just tell her he liked her, too.

"I don't care that you're not a solder." She put her hand on his face, gently, to make sure he wouldn't turn away from her. "I like you just the way you are. The day Mal hired you, what you overheard. Well, I said that because I kind of felt an attraction to you that day." She smiled at him. "And it's been growing ever since. But I had made a promise to myself during the war not to fall in love. I thought I could keep that promise. I had watched everyone I have ever cared about and was supposed to protect die, not being able to stop it." She sighed, but her eyes never left his. "But I know that if I were to walk out of here with out you knowing how I felt, I'd probably regret it for the rest of my life." She waited for his response.

He couldn't move his head and her eyes burned into his. "Did I mention I'm a worry-wart?" He bit his lip again, his own hands holding hers on his face.

"Did I mention that I don't care?" She just wanted him to kiss her, but she was timid about doing it herself. This was a fragile moment.

He shook his head. "Zoë..." The radar blipped. His attention was immediately broken away from her and to the controls. He tried to get a read on it, but the signal was still to small. "We're being tracked..." He turned on another beacon, hoping to catch just what it was following them.

She went directly into warrior mode. She moved to look over his shoulder at the screen. "Do you know what it is?"

"No...I-" He stopped, freezing a bit. He looked out into the black seeing the ship heading at them. "Passenger Liner, 234-7 class." He turned and looked at Zoë, skin pale and eyes fearful. "...Reavers..." He grabbed for the intercom. "Cap'n, you might want to get up here and strap in." He turned back to Zoë. "You too..."

She saw him freeze and knew it was Reavers. She nodded as he told her to strap in. She sat in the copilot seat, ready to help if needed. She looked at Wash and watched him in action.

He took a deep breath and turned the wheel, which snapped the ship of autopilot and into his control. It was a rush, he had to admit. Having such a huge machine at the mercy of your hands. He loved it. He threw the engines into reverse speeding backwards into space, the ship in front of them, trying to speed up as well. His tongue stuck out a bit, as he thought where he wanted to go. This was a Firefly, the possibilities were endless. Without warning he pushed her straight down into the black, hearing Mal calling from behind him. He spun her a bit, and finally pulled up sharply almost just behind the Reaver's ship. Just as they were passing, Wash reached up flipping his three switches and pushing the engine into burn out. The force shoved the Reaver ship away from them and sent them deep into the black until finally the blip on the screen was no more. They wouldn't be following them.

She held onto the dash as he did his fancy flying. She marveled at his ability to do it so calmly. Her heart was pounding in her chest and there was a lump in her throat. She heard Mal behind her but couldn't distinguish what he was saying over the engines. She looked over to him, "Are they following us?"

Wash just shook his head quickly, putting Serenity into autopilot and getting up walking off the bridge. He walked past Mal, who looked shaken and confused. "_Cho su ma ta jun_! What happened, Zoë?"

She looked at Mal. "Yeah, it gave me one too. It was Reavers, but Wash did some of that fancy flying and got us out of there." She half smiled at Mal and headed back to her bunk. She was disappointed that he had gone straight to his bunk so quickly. She had probably made him feel uncomfortable. "Gorramit, Zoë! How could you be so stupid?" she said as she threw herself on her bed, angry at herself for spewing emotions to someone she barely knew. And yet, he had kissed her back. She hoped it wasn't the moonshine talking when he had done so.

There was a knock on her bunk's door, and she sat up on her bed. "Come in," she called. It was probably Mal just wanting clarification on what had happened. She had left him pretty confused.

Body came down the first few steps of the ladder and then slid down the remainder. It was Wash. He still looked a bit pale and shaken, leaning against the ladder. "Hey..."

She was surprised that it was Wash, but not unhappy. She smiled at him, noting the way he had come down the ladder. "Hey." She noticed he was pale. She got up from the bed and walked over to him. "You okay?"

He smiled and slowly nodded his head. "Little to much like the last time I guess...worked up a couple old memories… I had to, um...well, I puked." He nodded very matter-of-factly.

She felt badly for him. She led him over to the bed to sit. "Well, I don't think that moonshine helped at all," she said, trying to make him smile. She turned and walked over to her sink and got him some water. She brought it back over and handed it to him. "Here," she said gently.

He took it, but he didn't drink it. "I didn't see the other ship get attack... but I heard them signal out to us. It started with panic and then... I guess, they didn't kill the radio before they were attacked, and I couldn't snap out of it to turn ours off..." He looked at her quickly, then back to his cup. "Told ya'..." He chuckled softly and finally took a sip. "Get a few drinks in me..."

She sat next to him on the bed and put her arm around him, desperate to comfort him. "It wasn't your fault. You had your crew to think about." She spoke softly, turning his face towards her. "There is no shame in that. You saved your crew. You're only human, like me. I couldn't save my platoon during the war. And, yes, I still have nightmares about it." She looked into those eyes again. "But you have to think about the people you did save." She paused, taking a breath. "It's hard." She rubbed his face with her thumb.

"I've never told anyone that before..." He was still a bit distant, and he didn't even really know why he'd come down here in the first place. He could have just stayed in his bunk and gone to sleep, but he chose to come down the hall and be with her. They'd shared the same ship a little over a month now and this is the most time they'd ever spent together.

She didn't know what to say to him. She could tell that it was hard for him to admit what he had to her. Since they appeared to be in a sharing mood, she told him the truth. "Most of what I told you tonight I've never told another living soul. But I'm glad I did tell you." She _was_ glad he had come down to see her.

And there it was again. His cute little boy face. Lips pursed together, eyes wide and though shined with feared, sparkled with a kind of innocence. "I didn't take you for much of a talker. Kinda feel special now..."

She smiled. He was so cute when he smiled like that. "Yeah," she said sheepishly, turning from him. "Ever since I lost my mother, I haven't really shared much with other people. She raised me all by herself. But then she got sick and there was nothing I could do, nothing anyone could do. So I made the army my family. And then, in Serenity Valley, I watched them die as I did my damnedest to save them. That's why I promised myself that I wouldn't fall in love." That all came out in one long breath. She turned back to him. "But that's not a promise anyone can make and expect to keep unless they lock themselves up in a monastery or something."

"Hate to break it to you, but you don't come off as the nun type." He laughed a little and put the water aside, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry...about your mom... mines a _chisu go se_. So, I don't think I would really care if she..." He was making himself sound like a total asshole. "I don't have anyone that gives a gorram about me, and I really don't have anyone to feel that way about...or. I didn't anyways..."

She looked at him as he said he didn't have anyone to care about him. She could believe what he was telling her. "I care about you, Wash," she said, taking his hands in hers. She didn't know what else to say. She did know that she wanted him to kiss her, but she wasn't really sure now was the time for that, which is why she didn't kiss him first.

"I know you do...that's why I said I didn't..." He squeezed her hands. "I really, _REALLY_ like you Zoë. You're pretty and strong and brave and everything I'm not. You know what you want and you go for it." He moved closer to her on the bed. "Now I'm gonna go for what I want for a change..."

She smiled as he complimented her, but she frowned little as he said '_and everything I'm not_.' "You're wrong about that, Wash. You are strong and brave. I don't know many pilots who could have down what you did back there so quickly." She smiled at him as he moved closer to her. "You're my hero," she said sincerely. With that, she couldn't wait any longer. She closed the gasp between their faces in an instant, kissing him deeply on the mouth.

He kissed her like they'd been doing it forever. He'd never been comfortable kissing a girl, something would always go wrong. Like he bit her lip, or stepped on her feet. Always something embarrassing, but with Zoë, their body's fit like puzzle pieces and he loved it. "_Wo du shin su cho shen na sen su piku_..."

She smiled into his lips. "Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you. Not only are you brave and strong, you're also very, very hot." She kissed him, allowing her tongue to tease his again. They fit together so well, like they were meant to be. She smiled at the thought.

He pulled back, blushing, a nervous smile on his face. "I wouldn't say that... I mean have you taken a good look at me? And then compared me to you... me... not hot.."

She looked him in the eyes. "Trust me, your hot." She ran her hands up his muscular arms to his neck and pulled him close to him again. "And I'll make sure I don't let you forget it anytime soon." She kissed him again, willing him to hold her close.

He happily obliged, pulling her in and kissing her deeply back. A soft moan escaped his lips into her mouth. His hands ran down her back and up her shirt, not really aware of his actions. He just knew it felt right.

She let his hands travel over her body and under her shirt, welcoming the sensations they made her feel. She, too, moaned and moved to kiss his neck. She let her body and desires take over. She slid her hands under his wife beater, letting her lips leave him only to pull it over his head. '_Oh, God, he felt good_.'

The muscles in his stomach tightened as the cool air hit them, but he ignored it and leaned up again quickly kissing her with a great deal of passion. He pulled her own shirt off her and kissed her chest. '_Beautiful... absolutely beautiful_.'

The moment he had her shirt off, she gently pushed him down onto the bed. She kissed his neck and worked her way down his chest a little. She retuned to kissing his mouth, tongues caressing each other.

He didn't know what was coming over him. Rolling over, she was under him and he started on kissing her neck, hands undoing the button to her pants and wriggling them over her hips. He sucked on her neck gently, leaving little marks all along her collar bone.

Suddenly, he rolled her over and was working her pants off. She returned the favor, moaning as he sucked at her neck. '_Oh, God, this man was amazing!_' Soon, they were both naked to each other. She hadn't been in this position often, normally she was in control. But now her emotions and her needs had taken over, and she couldn't care less.

He was in control, which surprised him. But he wasn't about to stop and ask if it was all right. Leaning down again, he kissed her deeply, hands running smoothly up her arms to her wrists, holding them against the pillows. Pressing in, he arched into her, wincing a bit. How long had it been? His stomach tensed again, his six pack highlighted. He quickly looked to her face to make sure she was all right...

She smiled as he held her down. He pulled his face back, as if searching for anything in her face that would have told him to stop. In reply, she arched her back into him, ready for him to take her.

Smiling he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, beginning to rock gently, hands slowly releasing her wrists and sliding down her body to her slim waist to her hips.

She wrapped her freed arms around him, pulling him as close to her as she could. They fit perfectly together. As she moaned his name, she realized something: '_This is the man I am going to marry_.' The thought didn't scare her. It made her happy. She ran her fingers down his back, allowing her nails to dig into his skin, not enough to draw blood, but enough to tell him how badly she wanted him, needed him.

He moaned himself as he delved deeper into her. He was panted softly, closing his eyes tightly, not really wanting to climax inside her, but it happened. He cried out, shaking, but never falling on her. Sweat dripped from his brow, his eyes wide with apology.

She was moaning his name as he pulsed inside of her. Her entire body was covered in sweat, and she was unsure if it was hers or his but she didn't care either way. She felt him reach his peak inside her and she screamed out his name. Then he cried out and she looked at him, an apology in his eyes. She was confused.

"...you okay?" He was still holding over her, arms shaking, begging to give out. He lowered himself a bit and kissed her chest tenderly, coming back up to hear her answer.

She sighed. "Never better." She smiled at him and pulled him down to her. She kissed his neck and then his cheeks and fore head, the end of his nose and finally his mouth. She had never been so happy. He was so wrong about himself. He was perfect. She sighed happily.

He loved her holding him, but he was soon up again, looking down on her. "No one...has ever treated me this way before. So, I'm new at the whole affection thing." All his love was built up and he was spilling it all over Zoë. He had never truly cared for anyone before. Not his family, he had no real friends. This was it. This was the first time Wash ever...loved.

She looked at him as he confessed what she was sure was what he thought was his deepest, darkest secret. She kissed him when he was finished. "I think you're doing just fine." She couldn't understand why no one had fallen for him before. He was a very loveable guy. And she wanted with all her heart to protect him and to make him feel loved until the day she died. "This is all pretty new to me too." She smiled at him. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling more when she realized it was as soft as she thought it would be, though a little sweatier than it was before.

He rested his head on her chest again, breathing slowing down. "If I wake up now, I might hate myself forever Zoë..." He closed his eyes, hand playing with her hair, the other resting on the bed beside them.

She laughed softly. "This isn't a dream, _bao bei_, this is the real deal." She relished having his hand in her hear. It all felt so right, him here, holding her. What they just did. It felt like it was all so meant to be. She could see where he thought he was dreaming. She sighed.

He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The left over effect of the booze and the events that took place. He snuggled into her, holding her close. Wash's biggest fear was he would wake up in his own bunk, with him and Zoë still not really talking. He drifted to sleep, calm and small smile on his face.

She sighed again as he pulled her close and snuggled in. She prayed to what ever God was out there that she was right in what she had said to Wash, that this wasn't a dream. She, too, felt sleep pulling at her eyes. She kissed him one last time and drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face and the arms around the man she loved.


End file.
